'L ord, what fools these mortals be." That was Shakespeare's Puck venting his exasperation. Unfortunately, things haven't improved much in humanity's sandbox in the intervening four centuries.

An excellent example is the dispute concerning the innocent body of water separating Japan and the peninsula occupied by the two Koreas. We know it as the Sea of Japan. It has been labeled that way on world maps pretty consistently since the latter part of the 19th century. But, as everybody in the three countries concerned must know by now, South Korea, duly supported by the North, has mounted a vigorous international campaign to get the name changed to the arguably earlier name "East Sea."

East Sea: Now there's a creative idea for enhancing good will in the region, much better than high-level diplomatic exchanges or reciprocal tourism or even the cohosting of the World Cup, that latest wobbly symbol of regional amity. The only wrinkle is that Japan doesn't quite seem to have grasped the simple, humorous logic of renaming a sea that lies to its west the East Sea. The second it does, however, it will no doubt rush to support the initiative. Relations between Tokyo, Seoul and even Pyongyang will improve out of sight. Or perhaps not.